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To Pray and Not Quit

I would have lost heart unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
(Psalm 27:13)

Men ought always to pray and not lose heart.
(Luke 18:1)

FOR a while now, I have been facing a particular situation which sometimes seems pretty impossible. Though I have prayed about it, God has not yet brought the answer to light. At times, I confess, I have been discouraged.

But the Lord startled me with a question recently. While at a weekend retreat, I came across this verse, "Men ought always to pray and not lose heart." He showed me that there are only two kinds of people in my situation — those who are praying, and those who are losing heart.

"Are you praying?" He asked me, "Or are you quitting?"

God was revealing something about my heart to me. He was asking a question about my faith. How much am I willing to trust Him — to keep on trusting Him? How long am I willing to walk with Him in the dark?

David was in deep trouble when he composed Psalm 27. Evil men were advancing against him and he was about to be besieged by an entire army. His foes were slandering him and his friends were abandoning him. He was a man in serious need of a refuge.

"I would have lost heart," he reckoned.

That certainly would be understandable. The survey of his circumstances was more than daunting, and David might easily have chosen to believe it, to let it strike fear into the core of his being. But in the midst of all that chaos there was something that kept him from the point of despair. He chose to follow a different survey — a survey of faith. "I would have lost heart," he said "unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living" (v. 13).

Notice what his choice entailed:

He chose to believe in God. He did not say, "I would have lost heart unless I had believed in myself." It was not a question of self-esteem. Nor was it a matter of his own problem-solving abilities. He knew his solution was not in himself, but in God. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). So said Solomon, who learned it from his father, David.

He chose to believe that God is a good God. He did not blame the Lord for his troubles. He realized that God did not bring these calamities upon him, not as a payback for sinful deeds, not even to teach him some lesson in suffering or perseverance. "God is the not the author of confusion," Paul said, "but of peace" (1 Corinthians 14:33). God is a good God.

He chose to believe in the God of covenant. The English word "LORD" (all caps) indicates the use of the Hebrew Yahweh. It is the personal name of God by which He revealed Himself in covenant relationship. It signified the peace, protection and provision God promised to all His people. In time of difficulty, David leaned into his covenant relationship, trusting that Yahweh would stand true to His word and show forth His goodness.

He chose to believe that he would see God's goodness in this life. The promises of God are not just for heaven, as wonderful as that may be. They are for this life as well. David's problems were in this life, so he was looking for God's solution to be revealed here also. Through all his trouble, David did not lose heart. Instead, he determined that he was going to trust God — to pray and not quit.

Men ought always to pray and not lose heart. The two are opposed to each other. We can't do both at the same time. Nor can we switch back and forth between them and expect to receive an answer. The man who does that is double-minded. "Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord," James said, "He is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:7). We need to make a firm decision that we are going to pray and not quit.

Jesus said "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Luke 11:9-10). Ask, seek, knock. The tense of these words in the Greek text means keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.

How long must we keep on? Until we receive what we are asking, find what we are seeking, and have the door opened to us. Jesus has given the promise, and His word is good. The question is not, Will I receive, or find, or gain the open door? That has already been determined. The real question is, Will I keep on asking, seeking, knocking? Will I keep on praying?

"Men ought always to pray and not lose heart," Jesus said. Then he told the story of the old woman and the unjust judge (Luke 18:2-5). The woman came to him seeking justice. The judge had no regard for God or for man, and so he ignored her. The woman might have given up and gone home, but she would not have received her satisfaction. She refused to go away. Finally the judge relented and gave the woman the justice she sought. How much more will God, Who is good and just, answer us when we pray and do not quit.

In another parable, Jesus told of a man who went to his friend in the middle of the night, seeking bread to set before his guest (Luke 11:5-8). He was in great need, for hospitality was an important matter. But the friend refused, citing the disturbance it would cause in his household. The man might have lost heart and returned home empty-handed. But he could not afford to quit — he needed that bread. Jesus said that, because of his shameless persistence, the friend would get up and give him all the bread he required. How much more will the Lord give to His friends when we ask and do not lose heart.

Then there was the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus because her daughter needed deliverance (Matthew 15:21-28). She presented her plea, but Jesus did not say a word. Some people might have quit right there, but she would not. She heard the disciples ask Jesus to send her away, yet she remained. She heard Jesus explain to the disciples that His first mission was to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." Still, she did not leave, even though she was of Canaan and not of Israel.

The woman persisted. She came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me."

Jesus answered, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."

She might have gotten mad at that and left in a huff. But like the man needing bread, she was shameless and could not be offended. She had great need and would not be turned away.

She also had great faith. She believed that God is good, and would be kind even to a "little dog." She did not lose heart, but like David, she expected to see the goodness of God in this life. Jesus commended her faith and granted her desire. He healed her daughter.

Men ought always to pray and not lose heart. Jesus was speaking of a time of adversity. Nobody loses heart when things are going well, only when they seem to be going badly. Our senses, our thoughts, our emotions may all be telling us there is no hope. Jesus tells us to pray.

Which brings me back around to where I began. There is a situation that seems pretty impossible for me. Though I have prayed, God has not yet brought the solution to light. But God is good, and I am trusting that I shall see His goodness in the land of the living.

"Are you praying — or quitting?" God asked.

I am praying.

© 2001 Jeff Doles.
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